When our imagination is holy and sanctified, we can choose to set our thoughts on God and use this creative process in worship. Our creative nature (we were made in the image of God who created all there is), when coupled with our imagination, can jump-start us into a place where all things are possible.

I encourage you to read this post carefully and prayerfully. Some have taken this topic to extremes and my hope is to bring a Godly perspective to it.

A Godly and sanctified imagination can definitely help to position us to enter into Heavenly realms. The Biblical definition of ‘sanctify’ is to make clean, purify, dedicate or consecrate. I am in no way suggesting that we just imagine what Heaven might be like and then say that we’ve been there. That’s a devaluation of our spiritual currency. We also cannot just imagine what God might be saying and then attach “thus saith the Lord” to it. Not at all.

There are many levels of revelation and all are precious and vital to us. Any time God speaks to us; whether it’s in the thought realm, in dreams or actually picking us up and setting us down in another place entirely, it is supernatural. (The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit. They are foolishness to him and he is not able to discern them. 1 Cor. 2:14) But we need to understand that on the lower levels of thoughts and impressions there can be more mixture. By contrast, the open visions like those that John received in the book of Revelation are so far beyond our imagination that we literally have no grid for them and we struggle to put Heavenly things into earthly language. There is no comparison. Of those times we can confidently say “I was there and this is what I saw.” Even then, we must carefully search the scriptures and pray for understanding in the interpretation of what we saw. Some things we will be permitted to speak of right away while others are to remain private and “sealed up”. (Dan. 12:9) We will gain confidence and understanding in these areas as we practice. Heb. 5:14 tells us that solid food is for those who are full grown and who “by reason of use” or “practice” have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

However, we were created in the image of God and the scriptures tell us that His imagination is fixed on us. He uses His imagination to meditate on His love for us. Psa. 40:5 says that His thoughts toward us cannot be numbered. The Hebrew word “thought” in that passage can also be translated “imagination”. Psa. 139:17,18 “How precious are your thoughts to me oh God. How great is the sum of them. If I should count them, they are more than the sand; when I awake, I am still with You.”

If His thoughts toward us are innumerable, all we have to do is align our thoughts with His and we’ll come into a river of revelation. In the same way God’s thoughts are fixed on us, when we fix our thoughts on Him, it opens our spirits to an increasing knowledge of Him and of prophetic knowledge for ourselves and others.

Heb. 4:12 says that the Word of God is able to judge the thoughts and intents of our hearts. Our imagination can also be defined as what our hearts think and meditate on. The dictionary says that imagination is to form a mental image of something not actually present to the senses. 2 Cor. 4:18 tells us that we “look not at things that are seen but at things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal (temporary) but the things which are not seen are eternal (everlasting reality).” How do we look at things we can’t see? By faith. One way is to take scriptural accounts of those who have gone into Heavenly realms and fill our “image ceter” with these images. There are 2 realms – visible and invisible. God wants us to see and be able to operate in both realms.

This will be the first of at least 2 posts on this subject. This time I simply wanted to lay a scriptural foundation and introduce the subject. In the next post we will look at practical ways our imagination can become an on-ramp into Heavenly realms.